Arsenal Should Sell Cesc Fabregas

I think Cesc Fabregas’ time at Arsenal is nearing it’s end. He has been a great servant since joining the club at age 16, but it may now be time to collect the fat check from Barcelona, allow Cesc to go where he wants, and use the money to move forward and improve the team as a whole. Sources say that Arsenal are looking for a fee of 35-40 million pounds for the captain, and if Barcelona, or any other club, meet that asking price, does anyone NOT think it would be in our best interest to take that kind of cash?

The importance of Cesc to this team over the past few seasons is undoubted. He has led from the front for the most part, and he has been a loyal servant since he first arrived from Barcelona. His talent is world class, and any team would love to have a player of his quality. My fear is that this current Arsenal team have become too reliant on Cesc, and when he is injured like he was for a good portion of this past year, we seem to lose our way.

Selling Cesc would give us the freedom to change formations into what I think we most suited for, the 4-4-2. That would allow Jack Wilshere/Samir Nasri/Aaron Ramsey to have the creative slot in the center of midfield next to Alex Song. Up front we could have both a target man like Marouane Chamakh or Nicklas Bendtner (if we keep him) next to the brilliance of Robin van Persie. Or we could move Theo up front with RvP and play them in the Bergkamp/Henry roles. The wing positions could be solved with a number or options, including Arshavin (again, if we keep him), Theo, Nasri, or Wilshere, along with potential signings Eden Hazard and Gervinho. I think our players are more suited to a 4-4-2 formation that has been so successful for the club over the years as opposed to the 4-3-3 we have been operating with the past few seasons.

The other benefit of selling Cesc, obviously, would be the large amount of money we would be getting for him. If you need to bring a lot of players in to revamp a lineup, then you are going to need a lot of money to do it. While we’ll get some money for selling Denilson, Bendtner, Almunia, and some others, all of that won’t even add up to the money that we would get for selling Cesc. He wants to go back to Barcelona, and I can’t really blame the guy. If you watched the Champions League Final you know how brilliant a team they are, even if they are a bunch of twats. Let’s take that big money for him and reinvest it into the team instead of keeping a player around who doesn’t want to be here and eventually selling him for a lower price or losing him on a free when his contract eventually runs out.

Cesc has been a good servant to the club, but at some point you need to move forward without certain players. Arsenal sold Vieira, we sold Henry, and we can sell Cesc too. You can’t replace a player of his talent level one for one, but with a squad that needs so many things fixed, I’d prefer 3-4 very good players to one great one. Let’s make the move that will make everyone happy and sell him this summer.

Feel free to agree or disagree with me, and if someone wants to write an article opposing what I just wrote, you have an open invitation to email me your article and I will post it here unedited tomorrow. ArseNole{at}arsenole}dot}com. Cheers and up the Gunners.

PS: I'm still going to marry Cesc's sister ;)

Arsene Wenger's Failed Project

Removing the dead wood at Arsenal is something that basically every supporter has been calling for since about March of this year. I’ve talked to several of you on twitter and the list is long and varied as to who should be shipped out, but the general consensus is that we want most everyone gone. Denilson and Bendtner I think will both be on their way, and I don’t think anyone will be saddened if Rosicky, Denilson, Diaby, Vela, Arshavin, Almunia, and Squillaci follow them. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out fellas. Some people would add Clichy to that list as well, but I’ve always been a bit of a Clichy fan so it’s hard for me to put him on there, although if he and Nasri don’t sign new deals then they will be gone too.

Now that we’ve got the list together of who to ship out, let’s analyze the problem a little bit more. I think if you look at that list of players that aren’t up to scratch, it shows a problem with Arsene’s transfer dealings as a whole over the past couple of years. All of those signings, with the exception of Almunia, have been in the past 4 years. Wenger expected them to develop and build the foundation of a squad that would compete for the top honors in football, and it never materialized. Is it a case of poor scouting, poor transfer decisions, or just poor coaching? Sure, they have all had moments of greatness, Vela in the Carling Cup, Arshavin’s 4 goals at Anfield, etc…but the problem has been that none of them can be consistent enough to hold down a regular place in the team, much less compete for trophies.

The Invincibles, in my mind, was the culmination of Arsene Wenger’s first “project” at Arsenal. He had brought in the players, molded them into a team, coached them up, and reaped the rewards. He had taken players with a lot of talent and supplemented that with a lot of experience. For every young stud like Henry when he first arrived and Anelka, we had a Bergkamp and a Tony Adams. The problem with the current squad is there has never been that balance between youthful talent and energy to go with experienced players who have been through the wars. He sold off Vieira, Henry, Campbell, Lauren, and Gilberto, to replace them with the likes of Denilson, Diaby, Bendtner, and Eboue. When you look at it like that, this plan was destined for failure from the very start.

Arsene is coming to the close of his career, and much like most of the current squad, I believe his talents are waning. He has not shown the foresight and knowledge of the transfer market that we all assumed he had. We thought the genius would eventually show through and that his master plan would somehow come to fruition. It hasn’t, and it’s time for an overhaul. If Arsene Wenger is unwilling to change his ideas on how to put a team together, then it will require someone else making that change. He’s been a brilliant manager for us over the years but being stubborn year after year is absolutely mental. He’s so stuck on his ideas being correct that he is unwilling to branch out and accept that this time he might have been wrong.

I hope Arsene makes the right moves this summer and shakes up a lot of the current squad. Part of me is hopeful, thinking that it can’t get much worse than this and surely now Arsene has seen the error of his ways. Mostly though, I worry that almost nothing will change, that we’ll trot out a lineup on opening day next season with almost the exact same squad that collapsed this season. Maybe nothing will ever change while Arsene is in charge. But for now, we can all hope. Up the Gunners.

Vieira Coming, Senderos Going, Toure and Wilshere

Morning all. I'll be the first to admit I haven't been posting nearly enough this Summer, but I've been reinvigorated by the upcoming start of the season and so I'm back and I wanted to give my thoughts on everything that has happened in the past week or so while I've been in New Hampshire.

So first off we had the Kolo Toure transfer to Manchester City. My thoughts on this are that, while it's a shame that Toure left after all these years, he hadn't been at his best ever since he contracted Malaria on that African Nations trip. So I think it was good business to sell him. When you look at our center back situation now, do you feel that it is a strong enough area without him? Arsene is clearly convinced that Thomas Vermaelen is the real deal and is ready to go right away, and he also must have a lot of faith in Johann Djourou as a back up for both him and Gallas. After that I think it's a little weak, as Silvestre is just terrible and Senderos looks to be on his way out. (more on that later) Of course Alex Song can cover at the back if need be but that isn't ideal. So while in terms of numbers I don't think we have a lot of cover at the back, but I think in terms of quality, losing Toure isn't a huge deal. He's been a great servant to the club and always had the right attitude, but it was time for him to go. I wish him the best of luck when he's playing United, Sp*rs, the scousers, and Chelsea, and of course horrible luck when he plays us.


Speaking of great servants for the club, there's been a lot of talk in the past week about Patrick Vieira returning to Arsenal! This one is a really tough one for me, because I love Patrick Vieira. He's probably in my top three players of all time. But didn't we sell him 4 years ago because he was getting older and wouldn't be able to play at the same level much longer? And now he's 32 years old, has a lot of trouble staying fit, and Arsene is saying he may bring him back. No offense to the legend that is Patrick Vieira, but is he good enough at this point? Even on a pay as you play deal, surely we should be able to find someone younger, healthier, and better to play as a defensive midfielder? Maybe Wenger thinks Vieira can still get it done, or he just wants him to play sparingly in some of the big matches, which I'd love. To clarify, I would love to see Patty back at Arsenal, I just wouldn't want to leave the midfield too thin if Vieira gets injured or isn't up to the level we need to compete for honors.

So earlier I mentioned Philippe Senderos, and it looks like he may be on the way to Everton. There have been lots of reports that the deal has already been done, but I won't believe it until it's on Arsenal.com. I kind of think we'd be better off keeping him, but if we can get 7 or 8 million quid for him I wouldn't be too upset about it. I do think he's always gotten a bad rap though even though he's a pretty decent player, but it doesn't look like he'll be an Arsenal player much longer.


So on to what everyone is talking about at the moment, and that's Jack Wilshere, who's performances in the Emirates Cup were nothing short of magical. And they would still have been magical if he was 27 instead of 17. The guy is just so far ahead of his time it's ridiculous. Arsene Wenger has moved to calm everyone's expectations about Jack, seeing as he hasn't even made it onto the pitch in many first team matches yet. At the same time though, you've got to wonder how long we can afford to keep this boy off of the pitch. He brings so much to the table, that especially with Nasri out early on, I think we need to get him on the field. His composure and skill on the ball rivals that of Cesc and Arshavin already, and frankly I'm obsessed with him. I've already put in my order for a Wilshere kit for this year. At the same time, we need to not do like we did with Theo Walcott, and put unneccessary and unrealistic expectations on Jack at a young age. He's not always going to have fantastic games and score crazy goals and make much more experienced pros look like schoolboys. We can still be excited for one of our home-grown talents though!

That's about it for the day. I'll probably post again tomorrow, amazingly, and I intend to keep that going too. A couple more quick things, make sure you sign up to win tickets to World Cup 2010! It's really easy so don't pass up that chance. Also, I recommend you all have a look at ThirdGen's Portal e-mag. It's good already and it's only going to get better. Alright everyone, have a good one. Cheers!

Kroenke Leapfrogs Usmanov, Melo Goes to Juve

Morning everyone. A couple of things have been happening in the world of Arsenal in the past few days so I figured I'd keep everyone up to date.

First of all, it's only 8 days until the first preseason match! We'll get to see that annual match vs Barnet, which while not an overly competitive match usually, it is the return of football each year and that is something to be celebrated. I'll get more into a preview for that match in a couple of days.

The big news I guess this morning revolves once again around one Alisher "The fat Uzbeki money grubbing cunt" Usamanov and one Stanley Kroenke. A few days ago, Usmanov offered to inject 60 million pounds into Arsenal's coffers for transfer activity. Mind you, all this money is questionable and sketchy at best. Needless to say, Arsenal rejected the offer. Ivan Gazidis had this to say:

With regard to players, the Board decided not to issue permanent capital in the hopes of signing one or two players in an inflated transfer market. Instead, the focus continues to be on securing the services of talented young players we have on long-term contracts and making very selective acquisitions, only where a new signing will add real value to our already strong squad.

Some of you will say, "Shite, why would you turn down 60 million quid to spend on the team?" Well because it's not how Arsenal does business. It never has been that way, and I hope it never will be that way. The club is built on a sound business model that, while sometimes is frustrating, is crucial to the club's long term success.


Along these same lines, Stan Kroenke has today increased his shares by 1,600 shares to now own 28.5% of the club, making him the club's largest shareholder, passing Usmanov. Some people are still skeptical of Kroenke, but I personally place my faith in the Arsenal board, who have been around Arsenal for decades. There's a reason they invited Kroenke to join the board and continue to reject Usmanov. Kroenke, they feel, is someone who has the club's interest at heart, while Usmanov is a horrible person who eats kittens for lunch and baby seals for dinner.

This increase does put Kroenke awfully close to the limit of 30% before you are obligated to make a full takeover bid. It seems almost inevitable that there will be an eventual bidding war between Kroenke and Usmanov, and I'm fairly sure the board is doing their damndest to make sure Kroenke wins that war. And I'm backing him too. While I'd rather have the ownership split up like it is right now, if it's going to be one of these two it's not even a question.

In other news, Arsenal target Felipe Melo has signed for Juventus, effectively ending that transfer saga. I did think he would be a perfect fit for us, but I guess we didn't want to spend as much as Juve did. The question is who do we look at for that holding role now? There's Inler of course, and Veloso, but my guess is that Arsene will go for someone totally off the wall that we've never heard of. Your thoughts?

That's about all I've got today. Thoughts on Kroenke, Usmanov, Melo, and Barnet are all acceptable, as well as anything else you want to say. Have at it. Cheers.

Vermaelen Officially Signs for Arsenal

Hello all. I've been on a bit of a hiatus since June 2nd. Why, you ask? Well simply because there's been absolutely nothing to write about. I don't want to write about how we might sign a 16 year old Frenchman, or about how Cesc might leave, then the next day he might not leave. It's just boring. Besides that, I've been kind of busy, so that's my excuse. But I'm back now and I'll be posting every day just like I did before. Now on to Arsenal.

I suppose there's pretty big news today. Thomas Vermaelen was introduced officially as an Arsenal player. We've been trailing him for a couple of weeks now and we've landed our man. We've all known that we need a center back for a while now so it's good that we've locked one up. Problem is, as is with most of the players we sign, I haven't seen much of him at all since I don't ever watch the Dutch league or the Belgian national team.

Arsene Wenger had this to say about him:

“Thomas is a great signing for Arsenal Football Club, and we are all delighted that he is joining us. Thomas is a solid performer with good experience of Champions League and UEFA Cup football and is also a regular with the Belgium national team. Thomas is primarily a left-footed centre back, but he’s multi-functional and can also play at left back. He is strong technically with a positive winner’s attitude and I have no doubt his arrival will strengthen our team. Thomas Vermaelen will be a huge asset to Arsenal.”

Vermaelen responded with these quotes:

“I’m just so happy to be joining Arsenal. This is a great Club with a world class manager, high quality players and a fantastic stadium. Everything is set up for Arsenal to be very successful for years to come and I joined this Club because I know Arsenal will be challenging for trophies.

“I have had a good taste of the Champions League during my time with Ajax and this is something I am looking forward to experiencing again with Arsenal. I’m also looking forward to playing in the English Premier League, which for me, is the best league in the world. Also, I just want to assure the Arsenal fans that I will give everything for this Club and I hope we can enjoy winning some trophies together next season.”

I like him already. I know everyone goes on and on about how great a club Arsenal is and how they are going to give their best for the club and the fans, but it still never gets old. If every player actually stuck to that mentality life would be wonderful.

While I can't comment all that much on the actual player we've signed, I can say that I'm pleased with the way this deal got done. We didn't wait until August 30th to start negotiating like we did for Xabi Alonso last year, we identified a target and went and got him, which is how it should be. This will allow him to get a full pre-season camp in with us and get accustomed to the style and to all of his team mates.

It'll be interesting to see what happens to not only Kolo Toure and William Gallas but also Phillippe Senderos. I forsee at least two of them being sold with Vermaelen coming in, and the only question is which two. If Milan want to keep Senderos, I'm absolutely sure we'll let them, but that is a big if. Then it comes down to Toure and Gallas. Gallas has played better than Toure as of late, but he's also older and is a bit of a cunt. We also have Djourou coming up who I think is going to be an exceptional player. Who do you think will be our first choice pairing at center back next year? It's really hard to predict.

Last but not least for today, I'm seriously considering getting an Arsenal tattoo. I haven't decided exactly what or where though yet. I may just get Arsenal down the inside of my forearm, or across my back. Anyone got any sweet ideas that I can steal from you? Let me know. Thanks. Peace.

Arsenal Linked With Matuidi, Madrid Want Alonso

Hello everyone. Not a lot happening in the world of Arsenal today but I'm posting anyway. I'm pretty much starving by the way, but that does tend to happen at lunch time. I'll probably make some coffee and have a microwave pizza, because that's clearly a good combo.

First off today is Arsenal have been linked with St. Etienne midfielder Blaise Matuidi. He's 22, plays as a DM, and really wants to join Arsenal.

“I asked myself questions at the end of August after Arsenal showed their interest. An opportunity to join them is not something ordinary. It gives you great self-esteem, it is Arsenal."

I tell you, it is REALLY hard to find any videos or anything on this guy, but I did find this one of a really nice goal he scored this season. If anyone knows more about him, feel free to fill us all in.

If Xabi Alonso is really a target again this summer for Arsene Wenger, then the competition for his signature just got a lot tougher. Real Madrid are interested in signing him, and since they'll pay just about anything to get the players they want, it could price us out of the picture. I've given you my views on this subject. Xabi Alonso is a good player, one who I would certainly like to have at Arsenal, but I'd rather have someone who will knock some dudes out. The only dude I remember seeing Xabi Alonso knock out is...well, Cesc...last season. Not nice. Still, if that's the way Arsene wants to go with it I'll be quite happy to have him because he really is an excellent passer with mounds of Premier League experience.

Kolo Toure has called for the squad to stay together this summer, and says it is the key to really improving.

"I think keeping the team together is the most important thing. When you stay with your team-mate for three or four years you start to learn how he plays. That helps you for the games and I think we have been together for a while now. It's important for our improvement next season. Sometimes when you bring somebody else, these players have to settle and that can take a year sometimes. The Premier League is already difficult so if you play six months badly it's difficult to come back."

That's a really long quote but it all needed to be shown. While I agree in principle with Kolo on this, and would like to keep most of the squad together, there is no doubt in my mind that we need additions to it like Andrey Arshavin was last year. The impact he made was unquestionable, and it didn't take him six months to adjust to the league. So yes, keep the squad together, but add to it as well. Depth never hurts any team.

And last but not least today, good ol' Jens Lehmann is getting set to make his film debut. He's apparently going to play a talent scout in the movie Themba, which is a pretty weird title to me but fair play to Jens.

So yeah, that's about it. Join the forums and start talking, because it makes the world a better place. Follow me on Twitter too. Man's game. Cheers.

Wenger Staying at Arsenal, Adebayor Leaving

Morning all. Lack of any trophies to play for and lack of any real news has caused a severe lack of motivation for me to write blogs lately, but I figured I need to get back to it, so I'm here today. It's been raining here for 5 days straight. This is Florida, it's supposed to be sunny. It pretty much sucks.

The main topic of news the last few weeks has been about Arsene Wenger possibly taking up the manager position at Real Madrid, who have always wanted him and never gotten him. Well Wenger has again put the speculation to bed, saying he's staying at Arsenal.

"I'm staying here.

"If that changes I will let you know, but don't worry about that. It's not an issue."

To me, it was never in doubt that he would stay. Out of all the times he's been linked with another job, he's always been loyal and stayed, and I didn't really think it would be any different this time. Real Madrid wouldn't give him the control he wanted and they certainly would not allow to stay manager if he went four years without a trophy there. It's not the right job for him. It's just the press fiending for stories while there aren't any. So Wenger will be here, don't you all worry about that.

The other big stories this week have revolved around Emmanuel Adebayor, and whether or not he'll be sold in the summer. If you've read the blog for a while (and my thanks to those of you who have and are still here) then you know that I've almost ALWAYS backed Adebayor, even while 90% of Arsenal fans were bashing his head in with a mallet. However, I DO think he will be sold this summer. I don't think it's right the way he's been treated this year by the fans though. This is a guy who scored 30 goals for us last year almost by himself while RvP and Eduardo for out for large portions of the season, yet when he doesn't repeat the feat every year he gets blasted. The guy is a good striker that his given a lot to this club. No, he's not my favorite player but I do think he at least deserves some respect from fans for what he has done for us. Unfortunately I do think Arsenal will cut ties with him if they receieve a decent bid from AC Milan or Inter. Hopefully we use that money to buy a center back...

So the end of the season is almost here, which means transfer speculation will start with a rush. All I want for Christmas though is a center back and a central midfielder. I also wouldn't mind if Diaby was sold. I'll really get in depth with the transfer previews after the Stoke match. Look for a two part transfer preview starting next Monday, including potential targets, speculation, and all of that good stuff.

On a side note today completely not about Arsenal, please boycott Soulja Boy's music, because he is the worst thing to happen to music since Kanye West. Thanks for destroying rap music you two.

That's all I've got for today. I'll try to get something up tomorrow. So until then.

Arshavin Finally Signs For Arsenal

Photo Courtesy of Arsenal.com

Hello all. What a ridiculous day yesterday was, eh? I think the Arshavin deal was off and then on about five different times in the span of about three hours. When we went past the 5:00 pm deadline it looked like we weren't going to get him signed at all, but the news broke an hour and a half later that Arsene Wenger was confident we had him signed but the Premier League office had all gone home so they couldn't approve the deal yet. It sounded pretty strange but that was confirmed this morning when the Premier League confirmed that Arshavin is an Arsenal player. To quote Arshy:

"Now I can say only one thing - that if I play for Arsenal, it will be at number 23."

Number 23 huh? That's a big act to follow since the great one wore that number. That's right, I'm talking about Michael Jordan. I wish he would have said more than "only one thing" though, like that he was determined to help the team, was going to score 45 goals in this half of a season, and would once again kick John Terry in the face.

It's a relief to me that we were able to bring in somebody to help the squad out in this time of need. I would have prefferred a defensive midfielder or a defender as you all know if you've read the site before, but we do need some help with goal scoring lately so he should be able to help with that. However, I don't like that we've pursued this player since last summer and it took us until almost February 3rd to finally get him signed. Don't say it was to get his price down, because it wasn't. To quote Zenit representatives:

"The conditions of the contract are very favourable for Zenit," Petrov said. "The value of the deal is much more than £12million."

So chances are the deal is around the 12 million + 3 million in installments. So why did it take us so long and why were there not other options when it looked like the Arshavin deal had collapsed?

I think we really do miss David Dein in a way. Yeah, he has a totally different way of thinking than the rest of the board, but maybe he is half right. He is certainly wrong to team with someone like Alisher Usmanov, and I'm not saying we need a sugar daddy, but maybe we do need a board a little more willing, maybe even one that encourages, spending money. To me it seems like Arshavin was our only target and that does concern me because we haven't even adressed all the team needs. Maybe Arsene thinks that Alex Song is good enough...errrrrr...capable of playing in this league...errrrr...no he's shite. We needed a defensive midfielder. Gallas isn't getting any younger or any better either, so we're going to need a defender soon too, but no, we wouldn't want to go ahead and sign say, Micah Richards while his value is at it's lowest point because of his dip in form.

For now though, we must be happy to have Arshy the Gunner. I'm sure he'll help the team, especially while Cesc and Theo are out, and maybe with a little luck he'll win us the game over Sp*rs this weekend, who may start the old duo of Defoe and that cartwheeling cunt Robbie Keane. Sp*rs and Liverpool are really just a bunch of horrible cunts are they? Selling players back and forth six months apart, good business you wankfests.

I don't have much else today. Looking forward to seeing some pictures of Arshavin in training soon. Cheers.

1 Hour To Get Arshavin Deal Done, Big Transfer News Of The Day

Morning all. The Premier League extended the transfer window this morning, and it should go to about 5:00 pm London time. That gives us one hour to finalize the Arshavin deal, or any other deals we could possibly be making (good one I know). Reports say that Arshavin took a private jet into London to try to work out a deal, but his wage demands were too high and we broke off negotiations with him, but he couldn't leave because of the snow storm. Apparently the deal is back on now as of an hour ago, going by this article:

"The on-off-on-off-on-off transfer of Andrei Arshavin from Zenit St Petesburg to Arsenal is back on and "very close" to conclusion, according to Sky Sports. There is plenty of time for the £15m-ish deal to be off and back on again before the transfer window closes."

I've heard that Arshavin is asking for about 90,000 quid a week, which has to be about triple what Zenit pay him. I think he's mental if he thinks we're going to pay him that, and really don't want us to bother with him if those are his demands. I want signings for sure, to improve the squad, but not at that cost for that player in that position.

There is a slim possibility that we have put in a 7 million pound bid to Sp*rs for Giovanni Dos Santos, best friend of Carlos Vela. Two bids were accepted by the scum, one from Portsmouth, which has now collapsed, and one from an unknown club. I don't think it's us but as long as we have connections to the player then it wouldn't shock me.

Robbie Keane looks set to head back to the Lane for 15 million pounds, as Tottenham continue to buy all of their former players. Maybe next they will bring back Berbatov too, and Sol Campbell. Rafa Benitez only gave him six months at Liverpool before opting to sell him, and we've seen a lot more of that lately, like with Diarra last year for us.

I'm going to try to keep this undated every hour on the hour today so everyone is up to date with all the big happenings. Cheers all.

Arsenal Needs More Than Just Arshavin

Morning all. We had a pretty big match yesterday against Everton, and after going the inevitable goal down, Robin van Persie managed to equalize. And I have to say, it was a fucking fantastic goal. The problem is that we gave up a goal before that and had almost no attacking presence until that goal in the 92nd minute.

As I was watching the game I tried to picture how Andrei Arshavin would help us during the match. I decided that he would have probably taken Denilson or Diaby's role, either in the center attacking role or on the right wing. Denilson wasn't especially good, but he is no right winger and when he's in his natural position in the middle I do think he's pretty good. Diaby wasn't very good either, but he did at least make the assist on the one goal we scored. Could he add something where those two couldn't? I think yes, he could. The thing is, we have players already that play in the central midfield attacking role and on the right wing, named Cesc and Theo. I still can't see, when everyone is healthy, where we are going to play Arshavin. I haven't really found a good answer from anyone and it's hard to see where he fits into a healthy lineup. Mind you, Arsenal seems to almost never have a fully healthy lineup, but I just worry about what the implications of his signing could be. Theo's contract is up in the summer and if we didn't renew him because we signed Arshavin I'd be pretty upset about it.

I've mentioned all those points before though, about him not really having a natural place in the squad when Cesc and Theo are healthy (and there's also Rosicky, who should be back soon), but the real problem is still in defense. The goal Everton scored was not spectacular, they didn't break the defense down with skillful passing or immense skill; they just crossed into the box and Tim Cahill (one of only two or three players that you would worry about scoring on Everton) headed it in over Clichy. I love Clichy but one thing you can certainly say is that he is not the tallest defender in the world. Baines had way too much time to cross the ball and had nobody even attempting to come close him down. It's like someone giving Ray Allen an open three pointer in the corner, it's going in. Same way here, if you give a professional at a top flight club that much time then he is going to hurt you. Just poor defending all the way around and that seems to be the theme of our matches this year. Clichy hasn't had a good year, Toure/Gallas haven't been good, Silvestre is just terrible, and only Djourou has really looked decent and shown his potential.

Does Arsene really not think we need a new defender? No, he knows we need one, because he said we needed a "powerful defender" just last summer, when we were all saying the same thing. Silvestre cannot have been who he had in mind to fill that role. I can't imagine what is possibly going on in his head but anyone who has watched Arsenal this year would see that we have a number of deficiencies that Andrey Arshavin will not fix by himself no matter how well he does.

Aston Villa continue to win, with all the luck of a team having horse shoes stuck up their asses and leprachauns in their dressing room. We can't afford, in the current economic state, to not qualify for the Champions League, and at this rate it won't happen. We're developing the Highbury Square flats, we're paying off the new stadium, we have fairly high player salaries to pay, and the Champions League provides a lot of revenue towards those expenses. Surely Arsene Wenger, the economist, can see that some investment now will prove to be a good expenditure down the road.

I just worry about the potential problems the club could face if we don't get better soon. Yes, we are on an unbeaten run, but there are a lot of draws in that run against some teams we should probably beat and need to beat if we want to be where we want to be at the end of the year. I know it's unlikely, but I'm still holding out for a couple of new signings in the next week.

And last but not least for the day, The ArseNole turned 1 1/2 years old this week and I'm in a very thankful mood today, so I'd just like to thank everyone that reads or has ever read the site and I especially thank those that keep coming back, like Mike, Joaquin, GPS Justin, Theresa Smith, Danking, Andre, Conolly's Agent, Jamesgillesp, and all the others who have stayed with me through all this time. I can't thank you guys enough. If you're ever in Jacksonville (or in Mike's case if I'm in Tally) then there's a beer for you on me. Cheers all.

Oh by the way! I might actually do a podcast tomorrow...if I come up with some good material. If you could please send in your emails with anything you want me to talk about on there or anything funny or anything at all, then it would be much appreciated! Thanks! ArseNole{at}arsenole.com.

Arshavin Signing For Arsenal, Rosicky Back in Training

Hello all. It's 1 am here which means 6 am in London but I've only just checked the news and seen that Zenit St Petersburg and Arsenal have agreed a fee for Andrei Arshavin. Zenit officials confirmed that an agreement had been reached on a transfer fee and all that remains is working out personal terms.

"The fundamental understanding over the transfer of the player is achieved between the clubs," read the statement. "At the moment the basic obstacle in realisation of the transaction is Andrei Arshavin's personal requirements."

So there is no word on what the agreed fee is, but it does seem as if the deal will be done very shortly. The good news from all this, besides the fact that we're getting a player who could help us hopefully score more goals, is the news that Arsenal are still actually capable of signing players! It looked for a while as if this would go the same way as the Xabi Alonso deal, arguing over a couple of million and eventually getting no deal done at all. Thankfully though everything should be worked out with Arshavin very soon and he should be an Arsenal player in the next few days. He's certainly been begging to come so it shouldn't be so hard to agree to personal terms.

"The player will travel to London this week to finalise terms, even though Gunners boss Arsene Wenger entertained Arshavin at Arsenal's training ground before Christmas, when much of the detail was agreed." - The Herald Sun

While Arshavin wasn't exactly the signing a lot of us had hoped for, he will help the squad, especially while Cesc is out. It won't help our central midfield or our defense, but you can't win without scoring goals and that is what he can certainly help with.

In other news, there are reports unconfirmed by the club that Tomas Rosicky is back in training, which is the first time in months. If he gets back and we get the Arshavin deal done we'll have a plethora of similar players to play on the left side of midfield. I think Nasri or Arshy will play in the middle though while Cesc is out and maybe another one of em could play on the right until Theo is back and healthy.

And in other transfer news, Micah Richards, who was linked with us yesterday, says he is "flattered" by the interest in him from Arsenal.

"It's always flattering being linked with a club like Arsenal, and they have one of the best managers in the world in Arsene Wenger."

As I said, I think Richards would be a perfect signing for us. He hasn't been outstanding this year, but with the turmoil going on at Manchester City it isn't a surprise really. He could be a great defender for us for years to come, and I'd love to see us get that done.

I'll get back to you guys in the morning if there is any more news on the Arshy deal. For now, take solace in the fact that he will almost certainly be an Arsenal player in the next few days.

Cheers. Hopefully we'll be seeing pictures like this one soon. Yeah I'm terrible at photo editing.

Micah Richards Would Be A Great Signing, FA Cup Replay

'Ello all. Just got home from eating a burrito at Moe's. Delicious. Celtics play in 10 minutes and my bed is calling my name for a nap, so it should be a good day. We played Cardiff earlier today, and played to a 0-0 draw. My thoughts on that in a minute. Just a quick thought before that though. I've been reading through my Official History of Arsenal book that I just got, and I've really realized how much legendary Arsenal manager Herbert Chapman did for the club and the game itself. Arsenal hadn't won a trophy in almost 50 years of existence before he led the club to three FA Cups and several championships in the 1930's, and really changed the whole way the game is played. He got the tube station at Gillespie Road renamed Arsenal Station, and made Arsenal the biggest club in the world at that time. He is the real reason Arsenal is what it is today, and I think every Arsenal fan should be thankful for that man coming to our beloved club. He died at age 55 this month seventy-five years ago. Cheers you to Mr. Chapman.


Enough history though, and on to today's match. Sure they are a division lower than us, but I don't think 0-0 is such a bad result for us. For one, it's much better than a loss. Second, we kept a clean sheet, and defense has certainly been our weakest point this season. So while our attacking wasn't what we'd like it to be, it does give us a home replay and extends our unbeaten streak. We had a lot of young players in like Kieran Gibbs, and also some shite players like Alex Song. Obviously a win would be prefferred, but it could have been like Portsmouth, who were knocked out 2-0 by Swansea City. I feel bad for Tony Adams. He hasn't had a great start as manager there but I don't think it's all his fault. They have lost several players, including Diarra and Defoe, but I don't think the fans will be very forgiving after Harry Redknapp led them to the FA Cup last year.

In other news, the News of the World reports that Arsenal are going to make a 7 million pound bid for Man City's Micah Richards. If this was true I would be jumping for joy. 7 million for an English youth international with a big future ahead of him? It'd be a dream come true. We all know Richards is an Arsenal fan, and even though he hasn't been in the best form this season, I think a lot of that can be attributed to the way Man City has been run this year. They have had horrible team chemistry, with a lot of players coming in and leaving. He was great last year with Richard Dunne, and I think he's the type of player that could work well with any of Kolo, Gallas, or Djourou. If he is really available for that little amount then we should be signing him today. It'd be a much better use of cash than Andrei Arshavin.

Speaking of Arshavin, there is no news about his situation, so we haven't signed him but the deal apparently isn't dead either. Still crossing my fingers we use the money somewhere else.

Ok, short post today but I'm going to watch the Celtics game. Let's go C's. Cheers.

Arshavin Deal 50/50, Rosicky To Return Soon

Morning all. We are in the midst of a mighty 8 match unbeaten streak which is pretty exciting don't you think? Problem is that Aston Villa seem to keep winning. Which needs to stop. Seriously.

So there are a couple of news items today, and of course the top story belongs to Andrei Arshavin, who assuredly is making some people sick of hearing about him other than me by now. Sky Sports is reporting that the deal for him is only 50/50 now, because "negotiations have taken a step back" and because of Man City not being able to sign Kaka. They think City may go in for Arshavin which honestly wouldn't bother me too much. If it means we'll spend the money on a defensive midfielder or paying someone to take Eboue off of our hands it would make me happier. I still think defensive midfield and defense should be our main priority but Arsene Wenger doesn't agree and he gets payed to manage while I do not.

Still, there is a lot of time before the end of the transfer window and I'd expect that we'll get a deal done for Arshy before it's all said and done. He clearly wants to come and if we're getting him in then the sooner the better so he can get used to the team.

In other creative midfielding news, Tomas Rosicky has hinted that he may be back in action for Arsenal soon. He's been out for over a year and I personally have wondered whether he'll ever play for the club again. We really could have used him this season but mabye he finally is actually nearing a return.

"Everyone surely knows that I am not in my ideal state of mind, the one I used to be in when was in Arsenal's starting line-up two or three times a week," he told his own website.

"Now I am playing a different game. I have been working hard every single day and want to be back soon. I need to be patient.

"I have to respect Arsenal management's decision not to comment on my state of health, as it's their choice and they have been doing their maximum to have me back in action.

"I am not the first or the last football player who has been sidelined for a year.

"I am looking forward to when I will be able to say to the fans 'I am fit and going to play at the weekend'. I believe it will not be a long wait."

I know that is a really long quote but I didn't think any of it should be taken out because there are a couple of interesting things in there. The strangest part of it is where he says that Arsenal management made a decision to not comment on his health. Presumably this is so they don't say he'll be back in six weeks and then he isn't yet again. It is still interesting though that they would just decide to not comment on it at all. The last sentence in there though is the best news, because he clearly feels that he is indeed getting healthier and is getting nearer to a return. I really hope he does get back and healthy, because we could really use him. I'm not holding my breath though, with the way he's recovered in the past, or not recovered.

There really isn't any other news besides Gallas saying he'll see out the rest of his contract at Arsenal. Can't say I really care on that one. I'd just as soon sell him today.

So that's about it, big thanks to my mate Patrick for hooking me up with the new header design, I think it's pretty sweet.

Cheers.

Arsenal Transfer Window Preview Part 1- January 2009

What's up everybody? As there is only one day left in 2008 and we move to 2009, I figured I'd take the time today to put together a little bit of a transfer window preview, looking at some options that could come in. Obviously Arsene is one who normally surprises everyone and buys players that nobody expects and/or have never been heard of before, so this could be way off but like I said, it's just possibilities and will hopefully start some good discussion.

So to start off, we have to figure out which areas of the squad need to be addressed. I think the two glaring holes are in the center of defense and in midfield. Some people say we need a keeper but I think Almunia has shown that he is a quality keeper worthy of his spot in the team.

So for the defender, we have to look at what we have and what we need in turn. William Gallas is a 31 year old smaller center back who has shown a penchant for scoring goals and also allowing goals on set pieces. Sometimes he looks great and others he looks like the worst player on the pitch. He's not getting any younger, and his leadership has certainly been questionable. Kolo Toure used to be a very stable defender for us and is in the same mold as Gallas in terms of size and style. He seems to have lost some of what he had before in terms of quality in the past year. Mikael Silvestre is pretty bloody awful and shouldn't really ever play in a team that has title ambitions every year. Johann Djourou looks quite good and is still young. He's bigger than Kolo and Gallas and should only get better with time. Fairly good on the headers and pretty good at marking.

I think what we need in defense is another player in the style of Djourou who can win the long balls that have become a staple of the Premiership. An experienced player who maybe wouldn't command a huge fee. Sol Campbell's departure, while he was getting old, really did take a lot of experience and physicality out of our defense. We need somebody who can rough up opposing strikers. Now who that is I don't know. In the summer we were linked with Raul Albiol, who plays for Valencia. He's got good size and speed and can play in defense or as a defensive midfielder. Valencia have also had some finanacial troubles so they would probably sell if the right offer came in. Steven Taylor is a young player with Premiership experience that has good size and strength and looks to have a bright future as well. Hard to tell how much he would cost but it could be an option. Cristian Zapata is another player we have been linked with in the past year and could still be an option. I think any of those three could be real possibilities due to the fact that they are all currently playing at top level clubs in top leagues which gives them the experience to play for a club like ours in a league like the Premiership. They all have size and strength and will probably all get better over time.


If you have any others you can think of feel free to leave them in the comments.

The other main area we need to address as soon as possible is in midfield. We've been sorely lacking in the holding role since the departure of Mathieu Flamini AND Gilberto Silva left in the summer. Looking back, that was not the best idea to let Gilberto leave after Flamini left, but now we have a hole there that needs to be filled. I have seen mention of Scott Parker, since he can play in that role and he is used to the Premiership since he plays for West Ham. He's 28 years old so that might reduce the fee for him some, but I don't know how he would fit into the Arsenal style of play. Of course we had all the talk of Xabi Alonso in the summer, but it never worked out, reportedly because of a 2 million pound difference in what they wanted for him and what we offered. Let me tell you, it's not going to happen. Liverpool are fighting for the title and he's been playing quite a lot for them this season. I doubt they'd sell him and even if they wanted to then the fee would be higher now than it was and I don't know if he'd want to come and battle for 4th instead of a title. Marcos Senna of Villareal has also been linked with us, and he could be an affordable option because of his age. He wouldn't be a long term solution by any means but he could be at the top of his game for another two years or so.

That's about it for part 1 of the transfer preview. I'll get to part 2 tomorrow. If you have any ideas of who YOU would like to sign, feel free to leave it in the comments or any other thoughts you want to put out there. One more day in 2008, enjoy it!

My Arsenal Christmas List

Today is Christmas Eve, and I will be departing in an hour to go spend it with my entire family, but I figured I'd do a quick Christmas post before all the festivities begin. I think an Arsenal Christmas list is in order so I've put one together for the rest of the season. If you think of any fun additions go ahead and leave them in the comments. These are in no particular order by the way.

1. Someone who can play in place of Cesc while he is out. Diaby is not Cesc, nor is Denilson, Ramsey, Song, or anyone else on our team. We need to buy someone to play the rest of this year in Cesc's spot while he is out. I could think of a couple of names but Arsene never buys anyone that we've heard of so I think it's best to just say we need SOMEONE there.

2. To stay undeafeated against the rest of the "Big Four." We've done it so far, with 2 wins and a draw, and I think it'd be great to be able to keep it that way the rest of the year. It will obviously be tougher without our captain but at least we would be able to say we didn't lose to any of them even once.

3. To beat Tottenham Hotspur at Shite Hart Lane. They screwed us over at the Emirates and we really owe them a beating. The only thing better than destroying them at home is destroying them on the road.

4. To stay in the Top Four. We've struggled this year, and fallen out of the top four, with Villa slipping in our spot. We NEED to make it into the Champions League next year, and so we really need to get back into at least 4th spot.

5. A new defender. I think that goes without saying. Djourou has turned in some good performances but since I think Gallas' time at Arsenal is nearing it's in we could use a good, tall, strong defender.

6. A holding midfielder better than Alex Song. Sorry, but Alex is just not good enough to be playing this much for Arsenal. Give us somebody better please. Again, not going to name names but a quality DM is just what we need.

7. Keep Usmanov out of Arsenal. There has been some drama within the Arsenal boardroom lately and it may be an opening for Alisher "As Large As Russia Itself" Usmanov to buy his way into the boardroom. We can't have it. He's a wanker who knows nothing about football or Arsenal or how to not be a cunt. Please Arsenal, do not let him in, at any cost.

8. A Trophy. It's going to be tough without our captain, but we still have at least two chances for silverware in the FA Cup and the Champions League. We'd all love a trophy, so let's do it Arsenal!

That's my Arsenal Christmas list. If we could get half of those things it'd be awesome but all of them would make it the best Christmas ever.

Merry Christmas to everyone! I hope you enjoy spending time with your family and I hope you all have wonderful times! Cheers!

I Want Stephen Appiah At Arsenal

Morning all. International breaks are simply awful. The good news is the Jaguars and the Seminoles start this weekend, and the Under 8's I coach start this weekend as well. So that will attempt to keep my mind off of the lack of a game this weekend for Arsenal.


If you haven't heard, former Fenerbache midfielder Stephen Appiah is a free agent. I don't see why we shouldn't sign him. He's been a good player and although he's had some injuries lately, you can't deny the fact that it would be a good move. He would be free for one thing, except for his salary, and he would add depth to our midfield. I think he could step in and partner Cesc, if not right away, then at least for the second half of the season. It looks like Arsenal are interested in signing him, so if it is going to happen let's hope that it will be soon so he can get in and learn the way we play and try to get some training under his belt. Arsenal Insider disagrees with me, saying that Stephen Appiah would be an embarrassing signing and compares him to Amaury Bischoff. But Appiah is not Bischoff. Appiah is the captain of Ghana and has played well during his career, while Bischoff has never even really had a career. Appiah is a much better player and why wouldn't you want to add depth when we so desperately need it? Still, just shows that not everyone is convinced that he is [part] of the answer.

Speaking of Bischoff, Arsenal.com says he will be back in full training in a few weeks.

Since Keith Edelman left the club in April, Arsenal have been looking for a new managing director to replace him, and the search could end soon.

“It is progressing quite well. We are getting to the end of the story. I am involved in it and I am consulted for it but it is down to the board to make that decision. Having consulted me, they will take the responsibility to name the right person. I think the decision will be made soon but I don’t know exactly when.”

So he doesn't really give us any hints about who it could be or even an estimate of when it will be but it does seem that Arsenal will have a new managing director soon. I still haven't gotten the call offering me the job, somewhat surprisingly, but I will accept if they ask me.

I don't have that much else to write about really, since there is no much to look forward to, no transfers to talk about, or very much of anything actually. But let me know what you think of Appiah and stuff and I'll get back to you tomorrow. Cheers!

No Signings Before the Deadline...What's Your Response?

Hello all. I'm still alive if anyone was wondering, I just haven't had a good chance to write in ages. Since I last posted we won 3-0 against Newcastle which was a great result, and the transfer window closed last night. I waited up watching the news tickers on and off all day hoping for Xabi Alonso, or anyone else for that matter, and it just never happened.

So we're stuck with the squad we have. Heaven forbid we get an injury to Fabregas or Denilson because then we're stuck with Diaby/Denilson/Eboue/Ramsey starting against Manchester United, Chelsea, etc. We're too weak in midfield and we all know it. All of us, it seems, except for the boss. I know I have never been a proffessional football manager but I have watched a lot of football and I know when there is something needed in a squad. I think Denilson and Diaby can become great players for the club, but they aren't there now and if they get injured the squad just isn't deep enough.

Eboue, poor guy, has had to go from right back to right winger to center midfield. This just shows how thin the squad really is. Versatility is great but forcing a player to play in positions where he is far worse is a bad sign.

I'm not preaching doom and gloom here, I'm just awfully disappointed. I think 95% of Arsenal fans expected some sort of move before the deadline, but the only move we made was to re-sign Mark Randall and Kieran Gibbs. Sources say that Arsene tried to make a move yesterday for Xabi Alonso, but they couldn't sort out a fee before the deadline passed. This brings up the question though, why didn't Arsene try to work it out before 10pm on deadline day?

But that isn't even my real complaint. My real problem is that there hasn't been ANYONE brought in at all. There are players out there who would be cheap and could deepen the squad at very least. Marcos Senna was out there for a good price, and there were a lot of other players who could have at least added depth even if they weren't ready-made superstars.

I'll admit I'm nervous. I'm a member of the Arsene Wenger Fan Club but he has really puzzled me lately. Danny Fiszman said the money is there for him, yet none has been spent. Has he gotten so stubborn that he just wants to be the complete opposite of the other Top Four clubs and spend ZERO money while they spend big? I don't want to spend zillions either like I said, I just want a deeper squad, and maybe a good defender.

There is good news, however, as Arsene Wenger says Emmanuel Eboue has become a "pass master." Is there a more clear hint that Arsene is failing to see a lack of quality in the team? Eboue is not, and will not be, a pass master, ever. He isn't the solution to the midfield problem either, but it sounds like Arsene is making him out to be just that.

But that's about it for the day. Are you disappointed or just fine with the lack of moves? Let's hear your thoughts. Cheers.

Oh yeah, and please for the love of God nobody try to convince me that Amaury Bischoff will be the answer. He hasn't played in ages and he isn't the answer. Don't be a moron.

No New Signing After All

Morning all. While for most of the summer I have been so supportive of Arsene Wenger and figured he would certainly improve the squad and make it competitive before the transfer window closes, I've found myself drifting further and further over the other side, and today is no exception.

After the first leg against FC Twente, Wenger had this to say to Arsenal.com:

“Will something be done ahead of the second leg? Certainly yes, but before Saturday, no.”

Yet the match is today and there isn't a new signing here. Don't tell me about Silvestre because he doesn't count. There is no improvement on the squad from the time of the last leg until now. Not only that, but the transfer window closes in four days. I know Wenger likes last second deals but why wait so long? It never seems to be the case at other clubs who come in and buy our players all summer. When you wait till the last minute you can't always get the player you want at the price you want, and it seems like it would be much easier to start earlier so you have time to negotiate and get exactly what you are looking for.

I don't know why Wenger has consistently misinformed us about the transfer dealings this summer. Very early on in the transfer window he said we would have a signing in the next couple weeks, and that didn't happen. Also, he said we would sign a "creative player and a powerful defender." Well we got our creative player in Samir Nasri, who I think we're all happy with, but we haven't gotten anywhere close to a powerful defender. There is just something shady about all these quotes with no results to follow them. I'm starting to think that it may actually be the board that is causing all these problems. I know Arsene likes a youth policy but this is getting ridiculous.

When asked about any new possibilities for signings today he had this to say:

“There are no names and there is no news,” he reported.

“We do not have to worry about too many other players. I believe we have the needed squad and a strong squad. I believe in the players I have instead of always looking at who might be coming in. It is not one player who makes a difference. It is up to us as a team to show personality, strength and belief. If we can find one more, we will do it, if not we will not limit our ambitions because of it."

Don't you think something is wrong there? He's said all summer we need a couple of signings and every time he says it he changes it to how we don't need any new players, we just need strength and spirit. Either Arsene has gotten too stubborn for his own good or the board isn't letting him spend any money.

Arsene also spoke about Phillippe Senderos being sent out on loan. You already know my feelings on that, I think it was a bad move for us.

Today we face FC Twente though in the 2nd leg of that tie with a 2-0 lead. It shouldn't be an extremely difficult fixture for us with the lead and the home field but you never know. Cesc Fabregas is back fit so hopefully we'll get to see the return of our savior tonight. I'm hoping for a 3-0 or 4-0 win to get the confidence back up after Fulham. C'mon you Gunners!

Arsenal Sign Mikael Silvestre...WTF?

Alright I'm back. Went to Tampa for the past like five days for the girlfriend's 21st birthday, and I've come back to quite a shocker...Arsenal have signed Mikael Silvestre from Manchester United. Yes, I'm serious. And I'm frankly astonished. Yes, I've been saying we need a new defender all summer, but this wasn't what I had in mind. A player I've been hating for as long as I remember is now a member of my beloved Arsenal. Not only that, but he's 31 and far past his prime. Would anyone say that Silvestre has been in his best form over the last few seasons?

No, this isn't a case of Wayne Rooney or John Terry showing up at Arsenal, but it's not what I would have asked for. I wanted a fairly young (27 or below would have done) and experienced defender that had several good years to come. This isn't that signing.

I do worry about this being our "one new signing" before the end of the transfer window. Surely this isn't the one Arsene has been talking about? I know I joked the other day about how funny it would be if Arsene signed some other position than central midfield, but now that it really happened it isn't funny at all. I think this must have just been a bonus signing that wasn't expected and it just happened because the price was so good or something. The fee was undisclosed of course but I can't imagine it being much at all. Buying Manchester United rejects is disheartening.

Arsene spoke about the new signing to Arsenal.com, saying:

“We have a strong squad but a young squad and Mikael’s versatility, experience and calibre will provide the extra depth we need to reinforce our challenge for honours this season. His defensive adaptability will serve us well and it’s a big plus that Mikael has top level experience and a great understanding of football in the Premier League.”

Yes he does have experience, which is the bright side of all this. If we win the title I reserve the right to take all of this post back. Hopefully he can provide a lot of good help to the youngsters and can maybe even teach Kolo and Gallas a few things. I think he'll be decent cover too, but I wouldn't expect him to start many games.

So I'm still hoping for one more signing. I really really hope this wasn't the last one. I'll get something else up tomorrow. Let me know what you think about Silvestre's signing. Guess I'll go add him to Arsenal on my FIFA game.

Is Arsenal Destined To Be A Selling Club?

Morning all. I've been out of town all weekend so sorry for no blog but I had no computer. I'm sure you all survived. If you didn't, then you wouldn't be able to read this anyway.

So while I was away it doesn't appear I missed all that much, so today I've decided to cover possibly the most controversial comments of the whole transfer season (and that's saying something.) Many people are worried because Arsene Wenger reportedly said that Arsenal were going to have to be a selling club for the next seventeen years. The quote reported in the article (from News of the World) was as follows:

'The strategy of the club is to sell every year and to buy less expensive players. We manage at Arsenal to maintain all our football ambitions - national and European - while having to free up - for 17 more years - an annual surplus of £24million to pay for our stadium. 'The club's strategy is to favour the policy of youngsters ahead of stars and to count on the collective quality of our game.'

So if you go directly by the quote and don't go with what makes sense and read between the lines, you'd think Arsene meant he was going to sell Adebayor this year, Cesc next year, and Nasri in a few years from now. But I do read between the lines and this makes perfect sense to me what he's saying here. Arsenal have a 265 million pound debt that they want to pay off. They have a 20 year fixed interest rate on the loan they took out (thanks Arseblogger) that they want to pay off on time. The loan started two years ago and Wenger is saying we need that 24 million quid surplus each year to pay off the rest on time. That isn't unreasonable. While ManUre and Liverpool are sidled with debt we are trying to pay ours off. At the end of the day football is a business and a business needs to pay off their debts to be successful.

I don't think Arsene Wenger means we are going to be a selling club for the next seventeen years, I just think he means business will continue in the way it has at Arsenal for many years under his watch. Buying Anelka for 500 thousand pounds and selling him for 25 million, selling Vieira and Henry when they were past their primes and bringing in Eduardo for much cheaper. In this way, Arsenal under Wenger have always been a selling club. Our record transfer fee is still 14.5 million for Sylvain Wiltord as far as I can remember. Our transfer sales usually outweigh our transfer buys, that's just how the club has been run.

Just look at last year for an example, when we lost Thierry Henry. We sold Aliadiere, Henry, Reyes, Ljungburg, Muamba, and lost Lupoli on a free for a total of 31 million pounds. We brought in Eduardo, Sagna, Diarra, Nordtveit, and Fabianski for a total of 23 million pounds. Can anyone say that our team got worse? No, in fact the team did better statically. Yet the club made an 8 million pound profit on our transfers. Would you say that we were being a selling club or improving the team with those moves? I don't think many would. While nobody wanted to see Henry go, it was a shrewd business move to sell him because Arsene could tell (as most people can now) that his best days are past him.

So does it make a little more sense now? Arsenal have a debt and want to get it paid off. Does it mean we are going to sell all of our best players in their primes to pay it off and have a mid-table team for the next seventeen years? Not at all. We're going to be sticking with the same system that has worked for Arsene his whole career here. A lot of people are making this out to be worse than it is, but remember: 1: Arsenal is never been a club that spends more than everyone else, they are shrewd businessmen, and 2: The source of this article is News of the World. Not exactly the most respected of journalistic enterprises.

Hopefully this clears up what this all means, at least in my opinion. Maybe I'm wrong and we'll sell Cesc tomorrow, but I certainly think I'm right on this one. It'll definitely give you all something to debate on the forums and comments at least, but I wouldn't let it worry you. Business at Arsenal will continue as usual.


The other main news of the day is Mr. Aaron Ramsey, who I call Mr. because he seems to deserve it. These quotes demonstrate that:

“Obviously the plan for me is to have a good pre-season and try my hardest to get up to the fitness levels the Premiership requires,” said Ramsey in the South Wales Echo

“I will try my best to get in the starting line-up at the beginning of the season against West Brom."

Perfect statement Mr. Ramsey. You have the right mentality exactly. He's been here two weeks at age 17 and is already talking about making the starting lineup for Arsenal in the first game of the season. Spectacular. I love it. I don't think there is much chance he makes it into the starting lineup for the very first game of the season but who knows? Maybe he really is that good. It's only 11 days until the first friendly of the season against Barnet. We get to see him in action on that day and I can't wait. Hopefully Nasri will be here by then too because I really want to see these new signings plus all the youngsters. Football is in the air again! I can't wait.

Cheers all, comments, forums, email (arsenole{@}arsenole(.)com), all that good stuff. Till tomorrow!

Also, in non-Arsenal related news, I have recently acquired a new domain name (http://worldcupUS.com). If anyone can put together a website idea for me I would be willing to pay someone to design a page to put on that domain. Please let me know if you can do anything for me.